The Suns franchise enjoyed a period of sustained success from the mid-70 through the mid-80s, making the playoffs 8 consecutive seasons and winning 50+ games 4 times. Age and poor roster management spelled the end of this run, and the end of long-time coach John MacLeod’s Suns career.
By the 1987-88 season, the team was a mess, finishing 28-54 and disgraced by a drug scandal which implicated, among others, franchise career leading scorer Walter Davis. Things looked bleak late in the year, but then the Suns parlayed their most marketable asset, PF Larry Nance, into a bonanza of players and picks which turned fortunes around the following season.